The invention relates to coatings imparting gloss to parquet floors and surfaces of other articles such as furniture, woodwork, leather articles such as shoes, and the like. The invention relates moreover particularly to floor care agents (or polishes) producing such coatings on the above-mentioned surfaces.
Hitherto, two methods have been available for shining a parquet floor;
The first of these methods consists in the application of conventional polishes which are solutions, or preferably colloidal suspensions, of waxy materials in appropriate liquids and which, after they have been spread on the floor and dried, must be mechanically polished, e.g. by rubbing with a cloth, so as to display the desired shine. These products permit a glossy and satin-like surface to be obtained which the user desires and to which he has been accustomed ever since the use of beeswax.
However, these products, even the most recent products currently available on the market, suffer from several important disadvantages; the delicate nature of the waxy coating causes the same to be altered by the least walking or the like passage over the floor, which causes streaks, matt traces and the like on the surface of the parquet floor. Whilst parquet floors treated in this way can be repaired by simple polishing, they require constant maintenance (re-polishing). They are also sensitive to spillage of liquids, which causes strains. Furthermore, since the layer of wax is of little strength, it is progressively worn away and carried away by passages over the floor; thus, polish must frequently be applied to them. Finally, the parquet floors treated in this way are slippery, especially for people wearing shoes with leather soles.
A second currently known method of polishing consists of the use of glossy varnishes which, when applied after thorough stripping, and usually careful rubbing down of the parquet floors, give a very glossy and relatively hard surface. Apart from the fact that they can be dusted or washed, they have the advantage of avoiding frequent attention for a year or several years, depending on the characteristics of the preparations. However, they suffer from certain disadvantages; they are labor-consuming and expensive to apply; they must in the majority of cases be applied by specialists. The shine obtained is frequently considered to have a cold sparkle. Finally, they cannot be repaired if they are scratched.
As far as we know, no product currently exists which simultaneously possesses the good characteristics of shining immediately, of adhering, of being flexible, of lending itself to simple, instant repair, or of being applicable on top of an old layer of waxy materials and of imparting to the wood, after application, a satin-like appearance comparable to that of a conventional polish after polishing.
It is true that aqueous emulsion compositions already exist which, when applied to certain surfaces, result in the formation of glossy films of their own accord, but these emulsions cannot be applied to parquet floors because of their water content. (The Chemical Formulary, 1961, Vol. XI and 1967, Vol. XIII).
Polishes for the care of parquet floors also exist which are derived from varnishes and which are self-shining, but they demand that the parquet floors should be stripped beforehand, which as a result annuls all their value. Such coating-forming compositions for the care of floors and the like surfaces comprise, in a true anhydrous solution,
a. a film-forming varnish-constituent agent, PA1 b. a varnish-constituent hard resin, PA1 c. a plasticizing agent for plasticizing at least one of components (a) and (b), and PA1 d. a volatile solvent mixture inert to components (a) through (c) and forming a clear true solution therewith. PA1 A. from 10 to 70%, optionally 15 to 55%; PA1 B. from 5 to 50%, (All % for the coatings in PA1 D. from 10 to 70% this and the preceding table are PA1 E. from 1 to 50% based on the total weight of the coating.) PA1 i. a chlorine atom; or PA1 ii. the grouping ##STR9## PA1 iii. a grouping of the formula ##SPC7## PA1 iv. a pyrrolidino, piperidino, 4-methyl-piperazino, morpholino or hexamethylene-imino radical; PA1 colourants (from 0.01 to 3%, preferably 0.05 to 2%), ultraviolet radiation absorbers (0.05 to 5%), PA1 perfumes, PA1 insecticides, PA1 bactericides, and PA1 fungicides, PA1 polytetrafluoroethylenes corresponding to the general formula ##STR16## wherein n is about 1000, and solid in the USA and in numerous other countries under the names "Teflon" and "Fluon" (0.1 to 3%, preferably less than 1%). The polytetrafluoroethylene is preferably used in the present compositions in the form of a very finely divided powder (the particle size, assessed by the optical method, is about 5 microns). Such a product is sold by Imperial Chemical Industries under the name "Fluon L 169".
Coatings are obtained from these floor care agents and the like polishes by applying the floor care or the like polish, Preferably by spraying from an aerosol dispenser, on to the surface to be treated, whereupon the components (d) and (e) evaporate with formation of the dry film constituted by the intimate mixture of (a), (b) and (c).